dinner inspiration – Page 7

Mongolian Beef

June 9, 2023June 3, 2023by Karen Claassen1 Comment

500g beef, sliced in strips
45ml cornstarch
15ml + 15ml vegetable oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
5ml ground ginger
80ml soy sauce
60ml water
60ml brown sugar
15ml sesame seeds, toasted

Add the beef strips to a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle the cornstarch over and toss together so that the steak is coated in a thin layer.
Place a large pan on medium-high heat and pour in 15ml of vegetable oil.
Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for one minute.
Add the soy sauce, water and sugar and cook while stirring for 2-3 minutes.
Pour the sauce into a jug and set aside.
Pour the remaining 15ml vegetable oil into the pan and turn the heat to medium-high.
Add the steak in batches and cook until it is browned.
Add all the steak back into the pan and pour in the sauce.
Simmer until the sauce is thick and glossy. It should coat the back of a wooden spoon evenly.
Serve the beef on steamed rice, scatter over the sesame seeds and serve.

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Double-Tomato Pasta

June 6, 2023May 31, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

250g rigatoni pasta
250g cocktail tomatoes
60g butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 x 385g tins of chopped tomato, blitzed to a smooth sauce
10ml sugar
10ml salt
125ml cream

Cook the pasta as per the packet instructions. Keep warm on the side.
Slice the cocktail tomatoes in half.
Place a heavy-bottom saucepan on medium-high heat, add the butter and wait for the pan to heat up.
Add the tomato and cook cut-side down for about 4 minutes.
Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add a splash of olive oil if the pan is dry and then add the onion.
Cook on medium heat until soft.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute
Pour in the tomato, sugar and salt and cook for 10-15 minutes.
Pour in the cream and stir through.
Add the pasta to the sauce and cook until the pasta is completely covered with the sauce.
Spoon the pasta into bowls and top with a spoonful of the cocktail tomato and grated parmesan cheese.

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Chicken Piccata Meatballs

June 4, 2023May 24, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

500g chicken, ground
1 egg
10ml oregano, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
a good handful of parsley, chopped
60ml + 250ml breadcrumbs
2,5ml salt

Sauce:
45ml olive oil
45ml butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
125ml white wine
60ml lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
grated rind of 1 lemon
60ml capers

Add the ground chicken, egg, oregano, garlic, parsley and 60ml breadcrumbs to a bowl and mix together.
Sprinkle over the salt, a few grindings of pepper and 15ml olive oil. Mix again.
Add the 250ml breadcrumbs to a shallow dish.
Now scoop up about 20ml ov the chicken mixture, shape it into a ball and coat it in breadcrumbs. Keep going until you have no chicken left.
Set a large pan over medium heat and pour in enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom.
Wait for the oil to heat up and then add the chicken balls. Space them so that they do not touch and crowd each other. Do more than one batch if necessary.
Cook for about 3 minutes, turn them over and cook another 3 minutes.
Remove from the pan and set aside.
For the sauce:
Add the 45ml olive oil and butter to the same pan, set over medium heat.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Pour in the white wine, lemon juice, lemon zest and capers.
Season with salt and bring to a simmer.
Add the meatballs to the sauce and cover the pan with a lid.
Cook for 10 minutes.
Serve immediately.

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Garlic Steak and Potato

May 29, 2023May 20, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

700g steak, sliced in to strips
80ml soy sauce
15ml + 30ml olive oil
30ml + 30ml butter
700g potato, cut into wedges
6 cloves of garlic, minced
5ml chilli flakes
5ml rosemary, finely chopped
10ml thyme, finely chopped

Add the steak strips, soy sauce, 15ml olive oil and a few grindings of black pepper to a bowl and mix through. Set aside to marinade.
Place a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat and add 30ml olive oil and 30ml butter.
Add the potato wedges and cook for 10 minutes or so, stirring every now and then, until fork-tender.
Remove from the pan and keep aside.
Add the other 30ml butter to the same pan over medium heat and wait for it to melt.
Add the garlic, chilli, rosemary and thyme.
Drain the marinade from the steak and keep aside.
Add the steak strips to the pan and fry until browned.
Pour in the marinade and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.
Add the potato and cook until warmed through.
Check the seasoning and adjust to your liking.
Serve with a crispy salad.

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Easy Hash Browns

May 28, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 large onion
1,2kg potato, unpeeled
100g cheddar cheese, grated
100g mozzarella cheese, grated
10ml garlic salt
60ml butter, melted

Preheat your oven to 220℃ and line a 25cm x 37cm baking sheet with baking paper.
Grate the onion and potato on the coarse side of a box grater.
Transfer to a clean tea towel. Wrap the grated veg like a candy by twisting both ends. Hold the towel over a sink and wring it as firmly as you can to squeeze out any liquid.
Add the onion, potato, both cheeses and garlic salt to a large bowl and mix through.
Drizzle the butter over the mixture and now mix together with your hands so that all of the mixture is evenly dispersed and covered in butter.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking sheet but do not compact it by pressing down.
Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
Serve immediately.

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Wool Bread with Pesto

May 27, 2023May 20, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

125ml warm milk
5ml instant yeast
625ml flour
45ml sugar
5ml salt
95ml boiling water
30ml butter, room temperature
155ml pesto
30ml milk

Pour the milk into a bowl, sprinkle over the yeast, stir and set aside for 10 minutes.
Add the flour, sugar and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Turn the mixer on a low speed and drizzle in the boiling water.
Mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
Add the yeast mixture and mix on medium speed for another 3 minutes.
Add the butter a little at a time with the machine running.
Mix/knead for 10 minutes.
Lightly oil a clean bowl, place the dough in it, cover with plastic wrap and stand in a warm place for one hour.
Take the dough from the bowl and place it on a work surface.
Gently fold the dough until deflated.
Divide into 5 even portions and roll each into a ball. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and rest on the work surface for 10 minutes.
Grease a 22cm loose-bottom cake tin with butter and line the base with baking paper. Set aside.
Lightly flour a work surface and roll a dough ball into a 20cm long rectangle.
Cut the bottom half into thin strips. (see Photograph beneath)
Spoon 45ml pesto on the half that isn’t cut and spread it out evenly.
Fold a 1cm edge on the sides, over the pesto and roll that section into a log. Roll over the part that are cut into strips.
Repeat this process with the other 4 dough portions.
Place the logs on the outside perimeter of the prepared cake tin.
Cover with plastic wrap and proof in a warm area for 1 hour.
Preheat your oven to 170℃.
Brush the bread with milk and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven, stand for 10 minutes and remove from the baking tin.
Cool on a wire rack.
The bread is easily broken into portions and is delicious served slightly warm.

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Soy Chicken with Pickled Cucumber

May 25, 2023May 18, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
60ml apple cider vinegar
5ml salt
5ml sugar

60ml soy sauce
30ml honey
4 chicken breasts, skin and bone removed
30ml vegetable oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2,5ml ground coriander

For the pickle:
Add the sliced onion and cucumber to a bowl and pour the vinegar over.
Sprinkle over the salt, sugar and a few grindings of black pepper.
Mix through, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

For the chicken:
Add the soy and honey to a shallow bowl and stir to combine.
Add the chicken to the sauce and stir to coat.
Place a large pan over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil.
Add the garlic and coriander and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
Take the breasts from the marinade and cook for 3 minutes per side. It is important to regulate the heat as the chicken can burn easily at this stage.
Add the reserved marinade and 60ml water to the pan.
Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to medium-low.
Cover with a lid and cook the breasts for 15 minutes, turning half-way through the cooking time.
Remove the lid and turn the heat up to medium-high.
Cook the chicken for another 5 minutes, until the liquid is reduced and the chicken is shiny and glazed.
Serve with steamed rice, pickled cucumber and the sauce.

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Cucumber Avo Salad

May 22, 2023May 7, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

500g cucumber (about half an English cucumber)
2 avocados
30ml lemon juice
2 salad onions, finely sliced
chilli flakes

Peel the cucumber in alternating strips in its length.
Take out the seeds with a teaspoon, cut into bite-sized pieces and put it in a colander set in your sink.
Sprinkle 5ml salt over, toss together and leave to drain for about 20 minutes.
Slice the avocado in half, remove the pip and scoop out the flesh.
Cut in to 1,5cm cubes.
Add the avocado to a mixing bowl, sprinkle over the lemon juice and season with salt and black pepper. Stir to combine.
Shake the cucumber pieces in the colander to get rid of any moisture.
Add to the avocado.
Add the sliced salad onions and mix again.
Now stir the salad vigorously until the avocado breaks down a bit.
Taste the salad and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
Scatter over some chilli flakes and serve.

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Chunky Vegetable Soup

May 21, 2023May 18, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

The garnish for this vegetable soup was made by horizontally slicing a hotdog roll, drizzling it with olive oil and toasting it in the oven. The garnish on the crouton is homemade mayonnaise with cherry tomatoes and fresh soft herbs.

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 sticks of celery, leaves included, washed and chopped
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
3 carrots, chopped
400g potato, peeled and cubed

Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add some vegetable oil.
Add the onion, garlic and celery and cook for about 10 minutes.
Add the tinned tomato and cook for another 10 minutes.
Pour in the stock, add the bay leave, carrot and potato and bring to the boil.
Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 50 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Mash or liquidise half of the soup, cook another 5 minutes and serve with a fresh, crusty bread.

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Thai Green Curry

May 17, 2023May 4, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

45ml vegetable oil
60ml Thai green curry paste
500ml chicken stock
1 x 400g tin coconut milk
10ml fish sauce
45ml sugar
1,5ml salt
800g chicken breasts, skin removed and cubed
2 aubergines (about 450g in total), diced
a small bunch of basil leaves
30ml lemon juice

Place a saucepan over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil.
Add the curry paste and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Pour in the chicken stock and coconut milk and stir to dissolve the paste.
Add the fish sauce, sugar and salt.
Now add the chicken.
Turn the heat to medium-low heat so that the curry simmers lightly. Cook for 20 minutes.
Add the diced aubergine and simmer for another 15 minutes.
Taste the curry. Add more salt if necessary and also more sugar for a background sweetness.
Chop a handful of the basil leaves and add it to the curry.
Pour in the lemon juice and turn the heat to low.
Cook for 5 more minutes.
Serve the curry on a fragrant rice and scatter over some fresh basil leaves.